Baking soda: why you should always keep it at home and how it can be useful for cleaning
When it comes to do-it-yourself, baking soda is a very precious ally: it is not only an economical product but also extremely versatile. It is water soluble, slightly abrasive, it is not combustible but alkaline. It is no coincidence that grandparents, uncles and mothers always have a full package placed in some pantry: how many times have you been advised to make a little hot water with baking soda in case of stomach pain? But baking soda is also useful in other contexts, such as those of housework. Sometimes you don't need detergents or aggressive products: just mix a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water, perhaps with a few drops of lemon, to make the cutlery and pots shine again or to eliminate bad smells. Let's find out how to use it and how it can be useful for you.
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Eliminate stains and encrustations
- Remove stains from cutlery: over time, the steel loses its shine, also because very often we do not dry them immediately after washing them. However, there are several methods for removing stains with the help of baking soda. It is possible to prepare a thick paste with baking soda and water and then rub it on the cutlery with the help of a sponge or it is possible to immerse the cutlery in a pot that has reached a boil and in which two tablespoons of baking soda have been dissolved.
- Clean the pots: to clean and degrease the pots, you can add a spoonful of baking soda to a basin, inside which you will have to keep dishes and pots, or just add a teaspoon of baking soda to the detergent you usually use for washing dishes. In this case, the baking soda will increase the cleaning effect and it will thus be easier to remove food encrustations. Another extremely simple technique is to let the water and bicarbonate boil directly in the pot you want to clean: and the dirt will soften and it will be easier to remove it with a wipe with a sponge.
- Remove paint stains from furniture: it happens that, after some work, paint stains remain on the furniture. In order not to use a too aggressive product that risks damaging the surface, just rub some baking soda with a sponge or a cotton swab, leave it to act for a few minutes and then rinse and dry. The same procedure can also be used with dirt stains on the sofa.
- Cleaning the microwave and the oven: for the oven and the microwave, the cleaning procedure is different. These surfaces, in fact, often have more dirt and encrustations. If the dirt is not excessive, just spread the baking soda in a damp sponge and rub it on the surfaces, otherwise it is possible to pour the baking soda directly onto the dirt, adding a drop of water and a few drops of lemon. It will then be necessary to leave it for a few minutes before removing everything.
Eliminate bad smells
Added or mixed with water, vinegar or lemon, the bicarbonate forms a more or less dense paste, depending on the need, it is used to eliminate annoying deposits of dirt everywhere: those of the kitchen, bathroom and surfaces. But baking soda can also prove to be a valid ally in eliminating bad smells from clothing, such as in gym bags or shoes. In this case, just add a teaspoon of bicarbonate directly to the laundry basket to be washed or to the washing machine rinse cycle: it will be able to remove even the most stubborn odors without resorting to detergents or fabric softeners. In the case of stains that are more difficult to remove, it is possible, as with surfaces, to directly rub the paste formed by bicarbonate and water on the clothes and - depending on the level of dirt - leave it to act for a shorter or longer period.
You do not necessarily have to replace the detergent with baking soda: the latter can increase the cleaning action of the laundry detergent. It is particularly suitable for deodorising gym clothes, sportswear, cloth diapers, baby clothes, sheets, towels and soft toys.
- Eliminate bad smells from the fridge: all the bad smells of food collect in the fridge, but its cleaning is extremely delicate precisely by virtue of the fact that we put the foods inside that we will then ingest. For this reason it is advisable not to use chemical and aggressive products. To avoid spilling baking soda all over the fridge, you can put plenty of baking soda on a tray or bowl on top. In this way it will absorb and neutralize bad odors and the final result will be a delicate fresh scent.
- Eliminate bad smells from the dishwasher: the same goes for the fridge, also applies to the dishwasher: bicarbonate, in addition to dishwasher detergent, enhances the effect and eliminates bad odors. It is also useful to put bicarbonate on the bottom of the dishwasher before each wash to keep the instrument fragrant and clean.
- Perfume carpets: carpets collect a lot of dirt, so it is important not only to perfume them but to disinfect them thoroughly. You can place them on a large tub or basin and sprinkle them with baking soda: you will need to let them act overnight, or for many hours. Some people then vacuum the bicarbonate with a vacuum cleaner and stop at this step, but it can be useful - once the excess bicarbonate has been removed - to wash them with hot water. With the same method you can also clean car carpets. By vacuuming the excess bicarbonate with a vacuum cleaner you will also have another advantage: that of cleaning and disinfecting the vacuum cleaner, the place where the most dirt lurks.
Disinfect and deodorize
But that's not all: you can also use baking soda to clean the floors, the fridge, the drains, the dishwasher. Let's see how.
- Cleaning floors: bicarbonate can replace common detergents on the market. You can dissolve a glass of baking soda in a bucket of hot water before proceeding with the usual cleaning with a rag. For the most difficult stains you can directly sprinkle a little baking soda on a damp sponge and rub the areas.
- Cleaning of pipes and drains: pipes and drains often get clogged due to food residues, so paying attention to their cleanliness is essential. To avoid their clogging and unpleasant odors just clean them regularly: you can prepare a mixture with a glass of salt and a glass of baking soda. Pour it down the drain and immediately pour in 2 liters of boiling water. After a while you can rinse everything with tap water: it will be able to remove dirt and residues stuck.
But not only to clean, remove stains and bad smells: in the kitchen, bicarbonate is also used to wash fruit and vegetables (in the doses recommended in the product package) or to promote - together with a drop of lemon or vinegar - the leavening of pastry doughs. It is also used for personal hygiene: for example for a relaxing bath or an emollient foot bath: with simple and quick do-it-yourself solutions you can notice beneficial effects on the skin.
What is baking soda?
We talked about its benefits and uses, but what is baking soda? Better known as bicarbonate, it is a relatively little soluble salt in water that in nature is found dissolved in surface and groundwater. It is usually produced industrially using the Solvay method, which consists in passing ammonia and carbon dioxide into a solution of sodium chloride (the main constituent of table salt). Together with salt, lemon, citric acid and vinegar, it is one of those products to always keep on hand because it is effective for cleaning the house, for health and for beauty.
Did you already know all its uses?
